Tuscan Flooring Ideas in Terra Cotta, Stone, and Wood

1. Terra Cotta

Terracotta floor tiles are traditionally hand-made in molds and baked to a durable hardness. The surface is rich and weathered, much like the color wash you might apply to your walls to give them that antique Tuscan look, too.

Then there is the distinctive burnt sienna color. Sienna (or Siena) refers to the ancient, land-locked city in Tuscany where the Sienna clay is mined. This clay is then burned, removing all traces of water and producing the unique reddish-brown color.

2. Tumbled Stone

Another way to evoke the feeling of Tuscany in your flooring is to install tumbled stone or travertine tile. With their rounded edges and pits in the surface, both products look like they have been walked on by countless feet over the ages.

3. Aged, Distressed Wood

Finally, you may want to consider distressed wood plank flooring. Plank flooring is wide (average six inches) and the "distressed" part means that it is "pre-aged" with subtle impressions to make it look antique.

Terra Cotta for the Hand-Forged Look of the Old World

If you want to go full-on Tuscany for your flooring, you can do no better than purchasing from a high-end tile-maker who understands that region of Italy.

Pavé Tile & Stone, ironically, is located in Florence. But not Florence, Italy: this is Florence, Massachusetts.

Pavé notes on its site (link below) that classic Florentine (Italy, this time) pavers are terra cotta, with 9" x 16" dimensions, or the 12" hexagon.

All tiles, say Pavé, have a "leathery surface, the sienna color mirroring the architecture of small Florentine towns, and it's old world ambiance bringing you back to Florence."

High-quality terracotta tiles are not inexpensive. Surprisingly, though, they are not as expensive as you might imagine. The overstock tile pictured here, Octagon Terra Cotta, goes for about $9.00/sq. ft. Note that overstock products and prices at Pavé will vary.

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Tile Mosaic Borders Complete the Effect

American Olean

Adding a mosaic border to these stone-look field tiles gives the floor instant vitality.

Each field tile is American Olean 13" by 13": Amber Valley in Derby Brown color. Every 9 field tiles are bordered by Tumbled Slate 1" x 1" mosaic in India Autumn.

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Tumbled Travertine

American Olean

Ceramic tile maker American Olean has a number of stone-look and natural stone lines. One stone that works well if you're trying to create the Tuscan look is travertine. This travertine is quite appropriately called Sienna Gold.

Shown here is the tile is an 18-tile array with a close-up showing the complex surface of one of the tiles. Because travertine is natural and thus is "imperfect," many tile manufacturers (American Olean included) fill in pits and veins during the fabrication process.

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Affordable Terra Cotta Tiles

Dal-Tile

Even though these tiles are made from clay found in North Central Mexico, and are marketed by retailer Dal-Tile as Spanish-style, these 6" x 6", 6" x 12" and 12" x 12" terra cotta tiles are perfect for giving your flooring a Tuscan look.